The present invention relates generally to communication networks, and more particularly, methods and systems for remote measurement of traffic in a network, such as the Internet.
Existing methods and systems for measuring traffic through the Internet are quite intrusive. For example, some systems require at the very least installation of additional software at each and every router and web server in the Internet. Others require the installation of traffic monitoring hardware and software at segments of the Internet. As the Internet continues to expand worldwide, however, these existing methods and systems have become prohibitively expensive and impractical. It would be expensive and impractical, if not impossible, to install traffic monitoring devices in each and every router and web server worldwide to measure the total Internet traffic between or within countries.